Bicycle use as a highway safety problem : special study

The report reviews the magnitude of the problem, and emphasizes that
the majority of losses and injuries are among children 5 to 14 years old. In each of
the past 3 years, 800 or more fatalities occurred in collisions between bicycles and
motor cars. The status of knowledge is reviewed, and the meagerness of this knowledge
is pointed up. The need for much more study is part of the problem. No clearly feasible and effective countermeasures are readily at hand.
The authority and responsibility of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) are reviewed briefly, and the very limited actions. The role and
responsibility of the Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare are reviewed briefly.
Recommendations are made that NHTSA: 1) explore and develop effective methods of
integrating training of young people for bicycle operation and automobile driving,
2) if 1) is successful, promulgate a highway safety program standard to implement it,
and 3) coordinate its bicycle safety efforts with the Department of Health, Education
and Welfare (DHEW), particularly with respect to bicycle design. It is recommended
that DHEW's research focus on injury potential of specific design features as well as
operator behavior associated with specific features. It is recommended that the
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and NHTSA be actively involved in the
Department of Transportation's efforts to encourage the use of bicycles to assure
that safety is given full consideration.